ZELDA II: THE ADVENTURE OF LINK
By: jak981125
© 2006
HYRULE 1257 AD
I'm quite certain the story you are about to read deviates almost entirely from the actual Zelda storyline. In fact I'm almost completely unfamiliar with it. Well I for one don't care. Do you? I'll ignore those one or two hardcore Zelda geeks that said yes. I have my own story to tell. Let's get this show on the road, shall we? Let's go back a bit…
Throughout time and space there have existed many tangents, many alternate realities. Hyrule was one such tangent in which nobody we would describe as "human" existed. Rather, we might refer to the dominant race as "elves" in our language.
Hyrule existed on a planet slightly smaller that ours with a warmer climate and nearly equal gravity. Hyrule itself could be described as somewhat of a Pangaea, a super continent which had yet to drift. This Pangaea was by no means the only continent but it was the largest. It was divided by an enormous mountain range which was given the fitting title "Death Mountain". The people who occupied the lands to the south of this range had little contact with those who lived to the north. The passages through this range were few and quite dangerous. Those who survived the landslides were often killed by the monsters that inhabited these mountains.
It was from these mountains that the ancient demon Ganon and his minions first emerged seeking the legendary power of the Triforce. Zelda, princess of Southern Hyrule, was helpless to stop the onslaught as her father was murdered, her people enslaved, and her lands burned. The Triforce of Power, the most ancient and enchanted artifact of Hyrule, was stolen by Ganon's troops when they sacked the capital. Obviously it would be only a matter of time before the Triforce of Wisdom suffered the same fate if something was not done quickly. The individual Triforces gave off great power but they were useless unless they were whole. Ganon had already gained great strength from one. Zelda was determined that he would not get the other lest he become unstoppable. Her plan was to divide the second Triforce into several pieces and hide them, thus rendering it powerless. Zelda had her bravest knights scatter these throughout the kingdom. No doubt these knights died fulfilling their quests.
It was during this time that Impa, Zelda's old nursemaid, first encountered Link, a young lad from the Western Islands. By that time Zelda had been captured already. Impa had fled from the capital to seek allies in other kingdoms. She had not gotten far before she found herself surrounded by Moblins. Link had sprung out of the woods armed only with a crudely-made wooden shield and a hunting knife. He easily killed the Moblins and carried Impa to the nearest Inn. He hadn't even had a sword on him at the time. The kid was a natural born fighter.
Link was a very cocky lad of fourteen with quite the attitude problem. He had left his homeland and when asked why he would only say that he was bored as hell with island life. It would be a gross understatement to say that he was strong and brave (or possibly reckless) for his years. Nevertheless, Impa certainly never suspected her young rescuer would actually be the hope that she so desperately sought.
Impa was old, tired and injured and she could proceed no further. Try as she might, she was completely unable to talk young Link out of seeking the life of Ganon. The boy seemed compelled to seek out challenges (particularly if the challenge involved violence).
As the weeks passed, Impa was proven wrong. Link was not only tougher than he looked, but he was bright too. Instead of single-handedly trying to take on Ganon's entire army (which is what he bragged that he would do), Link went on carefully executed midnight raids of demonic strongholds. Each time he'd return to Impa with more and more pieces of the Triforce. He talked a big game but he was no fool. It wasn't until Link had recovered the eighth piece that one of Ganon's generals betrayed him. He told Link exactly how to defeat him. He even told him where the silver arrows could be found.
As Link set out that one last time, Impa once again felt certain she would never see him alive again. Two weeks later, she was astounded to see him return with Zelda, both Triforces, and an army of reinforcements from the north who had been long delayed. It was a miracle.
TWO YEARS LATER
Link was numb. Why was this happening? What was he doing here? The loud organ music playing inside the cathedral was enough to make him want to kill someone. A sympathetic pat on the shoulder from Impa did nothing to calm his mood. He shouldn't have come. As Zelda entered the back of the cathedral in the most beautiful wedding gown anyone had ever seen, Link couldn't even make himself stand up. The unfairness of it all nearly crushed him. This should have been his wedding. But it wasn't.
People of royalty are never free to marry the ones they love. Zelda had been betrothed to a Prince from the Western Islands by means of a treaty when she was only two. Even a princess cannot change the law. She was to marry this chump (who was now a king) and become queen of the Western Islands while her little brother Fabian (who was only twelve) would be crowned King of Hyrule. Given a choice she would have certainly married Link and the two of them would have reigned over the land. Given a choice she would have cut off all diplomatic relations with the Western Islands who sat back and did nothing when Hyrule called for aid in the war against Ganon. The choice was not hers. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Link as she passed him on her way to the altar.
Link was so disgusted that he was about to stand up and leave when he found himself nearly tackled by Impa and forced back into his seat. "Gees granny, take it easy on me, will ya?" whispered Link with a grin. "You sure are strong for an old lady, you know that?"
"I've known the bride since the day she was born. I'll be as strong as a lion to prevent anyone from ruining her wedding," replied Impa in an irritated tone.
"You call this a wedding?" replied Link. "No, this is a public exercise in governmental stupidity. It is sheer stupidity that forces a girl who is so young and full of life to leave the man she loves and marry some royal pompous bastard at no benefit to her own kingdom."
"Gees, and I was worried you might be bitter," snickered Impa. "Link, you know I would do anything to change what is happening right now but I can't. You've grown so much in strength and character since I met you. Well it wouldn't kill you to gain some maturity too."
At that moment there was an earsplitting crash as an enormous Lynel smashed through the doors of the church and thundered down the main aisle of the sanctuary straight towards Zelda. Link immediately drew his sword and jumped nearly twenty feet through the air landing directly on the monster's back. The Lynel bucked like a rodeo bronco trying to throw him off but to no avail. Link thrust his sword straight into its back killing it instantly. In the middle of the commotion the incident had caused, the groom grabbed Zelda and held her tight.
"Oh my darling Zelda," he began in a tone devoid of all sincerity, "I don't know how I'd l go on living if that nasty creature had gotten to you. It was so fortunate that dirty little peasant boy was there." This last remark was directed right at Link who had run up to see if Zelda was OK but stopped short when the groom embraced her. It was almost as if the groom was rubbing it in on both their accounts. He knew damn well Zelda didn't want to marry him and he was loving every minute of her misery as well as Link's. Truly a sadist, this one.
This was too much for Link to take. Grabbing the groom and pulling him loose from Zelda, he clocked him square in the forehead knocking him out cold. It wasn't quite as satisfying as he had hoped it would be. First of all, the palace guards grabbed him immediately. Second of all, his hand hurt far more that he imagined that it would. Third, and worst of all, as they took him away he saw tears roll down Zelda's cheeks and an agonized look on her face.
As Link sat in the dungeon, his hand ached horribly. He was amazed that the pain was so severe. After an hour or so he could hear shouts in the street and knew the wedding was over and the "happy couple" was making their first public appearance.
"Alright, I'll admit it was thrilling beyond words to see that jackass get his face rearranged like that. I wish I'd had a chance to hit him myself."
Link turned his head. He hadn't even noticed Impa come in.
"You still should have restrained yourself though," she continued. "If not for your own sake than at least for Zelda's."
"I would have thought she'd be thrilled," said Link with a grin.
"Well she wasn't, you twit!" replied Impa angrily. "Today was hard enough on her without you making it worse. The groom tried to demand that you be publicly flogged. From a diplomatic standpoint it wouldn't have been a half bad idea considering you assaulted a foreign dignitary in the middle of a ceremony intended to strengthen relations between his nation and ours. Lucky for you a twelve-year-old has no mind for diplomacy." Impa pulled a scroll out of her robe. "By order of his royal majesty King Fabian XVI you are hereby pardoned."
"Heck of a title for a little rugrat like Fabian," grinned Link as the guard unlocked his cell. "Well I suppose I should go and apologize to Zelda."
"Sorry Casanova," replied Impa. "But after that little stunt you pulled the prince decided to set sail right away."
"What? You mean I don't even get to say goodbye to the woman I love? I'll probably never see her again!" Link was furious.
"Like I said," replied Impa coolly. "Wouldn't hurt you a bit to learn some maturity. Oh, by the way, you have also been formally banished from the land of your birth. The people of the Western Islands tend to frown on people punching their monarchs."
"So what?" grumbled Link. "It wasn't like I was too eager to go back home anyway. Nobody there understood me."
"Nobody here understands you either," replied Impa. "I sure don't. You're sixteen, you've never had any combat training in your life aside from what you've taught yourself, and somehow you're the best swordsman on this continent. And yet you have no worthwhile passion. The boy who never held a sword before in his life defeats Ganon within three months and yet in so many ways there's been no great change in you at all. I wish my father was still alive. He would have straightened you out. Why in his time…"
"In his time dinosaurs probably lived next door," interrupted Link. Impa grinned and slapped his him upside the head. "Ow! Gees granny, why are you always so violent with me? All I said was…"
Link couldn't continue. A searing pain shot through his hand. During his travels he had been gored by a Stalfos' sword, experienced a third degree burn, and had his skull fractured but none of that pain even compared to what he was feeling right now.
"I gotta go…" he stammered.
"Link what's wrong?" asked Impa. "Are you OK? I can get you some red water if you're hurt…" Impa didn't get a chance to finish. Link screamed out in pain so loud that half the kingdom probably heard him. He passed out.
In his unconscious state, visions haunted his troubled mind. He dreamed of times long ago, of kings, wizards, demons, and throughout it all the power of the Triforce was dominant over all political forces in Hyrule. But instead of two Triforces, he kept seeing three in his mind…
And the voice… He felt some consciousness with no physical voice of its own calling out to him. And for the first time in his life, he really truly listened. Whatever or whoever it was, the soul reaching out to him appealed to him so very much. I can't quite put the experience into words.
Just as suddenly as he had passed out, Link awoke and sat bolt upright. The pain was gone and he was lying in a strange bed in a room in the palace he had never seen before. Looking at the window, he could see it was midday. In the corner of the room sat Impa knitting. She looked up and noticed Link was awake.
"Where am I?" asked Link.
"In my room," replied Impa.
"How long was I out?"
"Two weeks."
"Impossible," muttered Link. All of the sudden he noticed how hungry and thirsty he was. He noticed something else too.
"Chamber pot's in the next room," said Impa, predicting exactly what that panicked look on Link's face meant.
Link had never had to go so badly in his life. As he unleashed Niagra Falls he noticed his hand was bandaged. Staggering back into the other room (well what did you expect after two weeks in bed?), he was about to question Impa further when he saw an attendant drop off a tray of food and water.
"Don't talk," ordered Impa. "Eat. Drink. There will be time to talk later."
"You're a bossy old lady, you know that?" replied Link. But he complied. After such a long fast he felt nauseated trying to eat now, even though he was starved.
Impa sighed. "Ganon thought he was clever," she said more to herself than to anyone else. She gazed over at Link. "He knew Zelda's plans before she even made them. He knew those knights would put those pieces of the Triforce in the underground bunkers that the army had built throughout Hyrule during the last war. They seemed to be the most secure places in all the land. He knew competitors of his; demons such as Aquamentus and Gleeok, would invade those bunkers and try to claim pieces for themselves. He saw everything in his mind months before he made his first move. And yet he never set one foot out of his lair to seek these pieces. Do you know why that was, Link?"
"Cause he was a coward," replied Link with his mouth full.
"No dummy," said Impa. "Because he had foreseen that some impulsive fool like you would come looking for him. He'd just sit back and wait for you to come and then slay you and follow your scent back to the reassembled Triforce. He didn't think you had a chance. Neither did I. But it all makes sense now."
Link stopped eating. "What are you babbling on about?"
"I'm talking about this!" Impa pulled the bandage off of Link's right hand to reveal a strange mark shaped like three Triforces assembled together. "Ganon never had a chance," muttered Impa. "I always thought a native of Hyrule would be the chosen one. I never would have guessed it would be someone born on foreign soil."
"Will you please tell me what you're talking about?"
"What does this mark look like to you?" asked Impa.
"Looks like three Triforces," replied Link. "Are we playing twenty questions here or something?"
"And yet there are only two Triforces," continued Impa. "There is Wisdom and there is Power. So how can this be?" She looked at Link intently. "You saw it in your dream, didn't you?" Link nodded. "The third Triforce, the Triforce of Courage. Only my family knows about it. Not even Zelda has a clue this thing exists. We must go at once."
Impa got up and practically dragged Link to the door. Link shook himself loose from her grasp. "I'm not going anywhere until you start making some sense you crazy old bat!"
Impa didn't say a word. She walked over and touched Link's hand. The strange marking glowed. She looked Link directly in the eye and spoke softly. "I have tried to keep your unconsciousness and all else that has transpired under wraps. It is imperative that we move quickly but quietly. I can say no more here. Even in this place the forces of Ganon have ears. Do you trust me?" Link nodded slowly. "Good. Then follow me at once. I promise I'll start making sense later."
Impa led Link to his bedroom and instructed him to get dressed and take the magic sword and shield he had acquired during his previous adventure. He opened a trunk and began to unload equipment such as his boomerang, bow, silver arrows, and well as several other items. "You will not need those," said Impa. "They will only slow you down. If you are who I believe you to be you will learn to call upon power far greater than anything these items could offer you."
The royal stables were unlocked. Taking two swift horses, Link and Impa stole away into the wilderness riding north. Impa led the way the whole time. Several times they were attacked by monsters. Monsters that Link had easily battled before now seemed more challenging. They ignored Impa and her horse completely but seemed very intent on fighting Link. Several times Link found himself desperately fighting for his life with monsters as simple as Octorocks. It occurred to him that Impa seemed outright impatient as he battled. After several days of riding, the pair reached Spectacle Rock. Impa dismounted and signaled Link to do the same.
"The horses can't climb steep rocks," she explained. "The man-made paths that lead through the mountain are sure to be heavily guarded so we can't use them."
The next part of their journey took weeks to complete. Impa navigated through the rocks as nimbly as a mountain goat while Link struggled to keep up. After two weeks they came to a point where there was a wide river and Link's heart leapt as he saw a town in the distance. "That is Saria," explained Impa. "Don't get excited, pal. We're not going there. That town is crawling with Ganon's spies." Link had rarely if ever been so disappointed.
"I've never been to Northern Hyrule in all my life and when I finally get to go all I see are mountains," said Link in a sulking voice.
"We're not here for sightseeing," replied Impa.
"What are we here for then?" asked Link. "You won't answer will, you? Should have seen that coming. Well, are we at least close to our goal?"
Impa shook her head. "I'm sorry but we have to take the long way through the mountains. It will take us far out of our way but no creature of Ganon will disturb us here. You are literally a marked man now, Link. That symbol on your hand will attract all of Ganon's disciples who still dwell here."
"Gees," replied Link. "These guys take revenge pretty seriously, don't they?"
Impa sighed. "This is about more than revenge. I did quite a bit of sleuthing while you were comatose. I'm sorry to have to tell you this. In the last two years a Cult of Ganon worshipers has been formed. This Cult includes both demons and elves. Do you remember what happened to Ganon's body when he died?"
Link nodded. "His corpse turned into a pile of cinders before he hit the floor. I never saw anything like it before."
"Well those ashes are now in the possession of the leader of Ganon's Cult," said Impa. "I've heard rumors. Bad ones. Apparently, they believe that Ganon can be revived if the blood of his killer is scattered over these ashes. Somehow the Cult figured out that they could identify you by the mark on your hand and every demon in Hyrule knows it. The mark attracts them like a magnet. These monsters were created by Ganon and have no will or mind of their own but his. The Cult leader alone thinks for himself."
"I see," replied Link calmly. "One question Impa. WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU WAIT TILL NOW TO TELL ME ALL THIS?"
"I thought you might get upset," smirked Impa. "You need to understand something, Link. This wasn't some run of the mill thug you killed. This was Ganon. This was the very epitome of evil in this world. A battle has always existed between good and evil in one form or another and you seriously tipped the scales. You got into something too big for you and now there's no escape."
For a moment neither one of them spoke. "So what do I do?" asked Link at last.
"Well for the moment, you can find a shallow point in the river where we can ford across," she replied.
For three more weeks they trekked onwards through the mountains, past marshes and man-made caves. They encountered no elves here. Years had passed since the Northern Territory had been a part of the Kingdom of Hyrule. This land was now merely a disputed territory of Hyrule and ruled by local tribal chieftains. The capital of Hyrule had once been situated here. That was a long time ago when the Death Mountain range was still safe to cross and people traveled freely between the two halves of the kingdom. This was before Ganondorf sold his soul and became the demon Ganon.
At last Impa and Link reached the edge of the mountain range and descended into a grassy prairie. "Woo hoo!" screamed Link at the top of his lungs. "No more mountains!" He flung himself onto the ground and seemed to be trying to make snow angels in the grass.
"Quiet you jackass!" snarled Impa. "We aren't safe here. This is open country and we could easily be attacked. We have to make it to the nearest road right away."
"Yes, because no one ever gets attacked on roads," replied Link sarcastically.
Impa grinned. "Not around here they don't. The roads were heavily enchanted ages ago by the sages who once occupied this land. No demon, no matter how powerful or hideous can set foot on them."
"Well then, I guess that rules you out, old hag," replied Link with a grin.
Impa rolled her eyes in disgust. "Why do I waste my time with you?" she groaned.
"Because I'm so darned cute?" replied Link. Impa groaned and walked away. "Oh come on, you know you want me. Come on, tell me what you love about me. Start with my eyes."
The two traveled northward towards the nearest road. Whether or not there were any monsters in the area I cannot say. Link and Impa certainly didn't have any unpleasant encounters as they traveled. As they reached the road, Link nearly stopped dead in his tracks.
"What's that smell?" he groaned as he held his nose.
"Powerful magic leaves a distinct aroma," replied Impa. "When I was a girl my home always smelled like this." She sighed softly and smiled and then turned on Link angrily. "One wisecrack about how my home smells now, just one and I swear I'll shove this walking stick where the sun don't shine, got it?"
"Got it," he replied. "So your father was a mage or something?"
"'Or something' would be more like it," replied Impa. "For generations my family has served as wizards for the royal families of Hyrule. In fact we used to live right over there."
Impa pointed up the road to a large structure in the distance that resembled the Parthenon. "That, Link, is the North Palace. It was there that all the Hyrulian royalty resided for hundreds of years."
"Why'd they leave?" asked Link. "Termites?"
"No," she replied. "A far greater tragedy befell them all and the king ordered that the palace be converted into a shrine and that no monarch of Hyrule live there ever again. But enough about that. How much knowledge of magic have you acquired in your travels?"
"Magic!" replied Link. "Man, you sure are good at changing the subject. I don't know, a little bit I guess. I'd rather leave academic stuff like that to the eggheads. I wouldn't want to accidentally turn myself into a frog or something."
"So what can you do?" asked Impa.
"This," replied Link. "AITE!"
With this word the sky momentarily flashed red and the air itself smelled as if it had been burned. Other than that, nothing really happened. "Sorry. If I had been holding the magic wand I found during the war it would have cast a powerful death spell which would have then burst into flame. Here it doesn't do much but give us a light show." Link breathed heavily. "I've got to sit down a moment. Doing that without a wand really took a lot out of me. What are you doing?"
At that moment Impa had stepped off the path and placed her fingertips together in the shape of the Triforce.
"AITE!"
At the sound of Impa's spell the earth shook, the grass nearby burst into flames and the air became so hot momentarily that Link couldn't breathe for a few seconds.
"What the hell was that?" hollered Link. "You nearly took off my eyebrows!"
"Kid," she replied. "If I had meant to take off your eyebrows believe me, they would be gone right now. This is the power I spoke of. The power you yourself must possess in order to triumph here in this land. Now come."
Link was speechless as he followed her to the North Palace. Mounting the stone steps, they passed a large statue of a knight. As they passed, Link was startled to see the statue suddenly come to life. It drew its sword and without breaking into a run, began walking very swiftly towards Link in a threatening manner. Link drew his own sword and prepared to defend himself.
"ADAMI!"
At the sound of Impa's spell the statue dropped its sword and once again became motionless. Impa approached and removed the helmet from the suit of armor to reveal that it was empty.
"This is an Ironknuckle," explained Impa. "These enchanted suits of armor were put in place by my ancestors to defend the ancient palaces of North Hyrule. Good thing I stopped it. These things are strong. At this point you would have had no chance whatsoever of defeating it."
"Oh come on!" exclaimed Link angrily. "I beat Ganon and you think I can't take on a walking tin can!"
"A walking tin can with my family's magic could knock you on your ass, kid," replied Impa smugly. "Now come on."
Impa led Link into the North Palace. As she entered each new room a single word of magic lit every candle. Ignoring the throne room completely, Impa and Link descended a marble spiral stairway to the basement. A small window let one beam of sunlight fall upon a set of large doors. The sunbeam illuminated the following words inscribed on the door: "The Door That Does Not Open"
"OK," said Link. "You saw it. The door doesn't open. Oh well, that was great loads of fun but I guess we'll have to go back home now."
"Link?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
"OK."
Once again Impa seized Link's wrist and the crest on his hand illuminated once more. She pressed the crest against the doors which swung open slowly. A pale magical light lit the room descending upon an altar in the center. Link's very breath was taken away at what he saw. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life (and I mean that very literally) was lying on the altar. Her features seemed somewhat more "elvish" than the people who lived in that day and age. Her hair was chestnut brown and if her eyes had been open Link would have observed that they matched her hair perfectly. Link touched the strands of hair without even realizing what he was doing. He was ashamed to admit it but Zelda's golden locks didn't even compare. The girl appeared to be about eighteen years old and seemed to have died within the last few minutes. She was warm but she wasn't breathing and had no pulse. Link couldn't speak for a while.
After what seemed like an eternity, Link turned back to Impa. "This girl's death was the tragedy of which you spoke, wasn't it?" he asked.
"It was but she isn't quite dead," replied Impa. "Her life force is in somewhat of a state of Limbo. You see, this girl was the original Princess Zelda." Impa pulled out a small chest from beneath the altar and spoke slowly.
"About four hundred years ago when Elezaar the Great was still king of Hyrule, the Triforce was whole and the kingdom was united by its power. My ancestors, who served the king, drew great power from these three Triforces and helped him to rule this land with justice and kindness.
"Well Elezaar grew old as people do and in his old age when he started to realize his time in this world was short he began to notice some things that disturbed him. First of all, his son and heir to the throne, Gibraltar, was pompous and immature and completely incapable of maintaining the quality of life that his father had established in Hyrule. He had also taken up with a wizard named Agahnim who was not among my relatives. Neither the king nor my family trusted Agahnim, who seemed to have an unnatural interest in the power of the Triforce. It was then that the Triforce of Wisdom delivered a message to the king in a dream warning him of the disastrous effects it would have if the Triforce of Courage were to be used by either Gibraltar or Agahnim. Neither of them approached life with good intent.
"Elezaar acted quickly and hid the Triforce of Courage from his son before he died. He personally cast the magic used to conceal it without any help from my family. Only his daughter Zelda who lies before us knew anything about it. The king then died and was mourned by all his people. Gibraltar took the throne and immediately began to make mistakes. He raised taxes, appointed Agahnim as his chief wizard and advisor, and planned to wage unjust war on the people of the Eastern Lands who had neglected to pay tribute to the throne of Hyrule for some time thanks to Elezaar's mercy.
"When he prepared for war he naturally intended to use the power of the Triforce but to his horror only two-thirds of the Triforce remained in the palace. Under threat of torture, a member of my family made a terrible mistake. He admitted to Gibraltar that Zelda might have some knowledge of the disappearance of the third Triforce. Now Zelda had been warned in a dream by the Triforce of Wisdom what was about to happen to her. But she was told to stand firm because in Agahnim's hands the Triforce of Courage would derive evil from the other two and ruin this land forever.
"Gibraltar viciously interrogated Zelda for hours, even striking her a few times but she remained unmoved. At this point Agahnim threatened her with eternal sleep if she did not reveal the location of the Triforce. Gibraltar never dreamed for a moment that this was anything but a bluff until Agahnim began to chant the spell. Gibraltar drew his sword at once and stabbed Agahnim only to be flung across the room by magic. Agahnim finished his spell and Zelda entered eternal slumber. Agahnim died from his wound at the same moment.
"Gibraltar nearly died from grief. He was a much changed and humbled man after that who ruled with mercy for the rest of his days. He became one of the best kings Hyrule ever had. This castle was ordered abandoned and the Ironknuckle at the gate was placed there to defend it. The capital was moved south of Death Mountain and an edict was issued that all female children of royal blood were to be named Zelda. This edict was followed on and off for several generations."
Link was stunned. Nowhere in any part of Hyrulian history had he ever heard this story. Finally he spoke. "So what are we doing here? Am I supposed to be capable of doing something about this?"
"I have no idea," replied Impa. "I consulted the Triforce of Wisdom when the crest appeared on your hand and it told me to bring you here and show you the contents of this box." Impa opened the box and pulled out a scroll and six green crystals from inside. She sniffed the crystals. "Ah yes, strong magic in these. Elezaar was said to have been extremely skilled at magic himself."
Link took the scroll and opened it. The language was so ancient that he didn't even recognize the characters. And yet as he looked at it, his eyes unfocused and the words became plain as day.
"Greetings. If you have eyes with which to read this you would be well advised to use them. I am Elezaar, called the Great. As of yet it is not safe for anyone in Hyrule to possess the full power of the Triforce and thus the third has been hidden out of sight yet certainly not out of mind. Know you who read this that you are of a royal bloodline and you are even a descendant of fairies from a time long before our memory. You alone have been deemed worthy by the Triforce of Wisdom to retrieve the Triforce of Courage. This time in history has been deemed worthy to have the full power of the Triforce. A great day this is!
"An ancient evil entity known as Ganondorf once dwelt within the realm in the eastern region known as The Valley of Death. Here was an elf who had given himself great power and unnatural long life by his addiction to the dark arts. All people dread his former region and particularly dread the ruins of the Great Palace in which he once lived. It seemed a perfect place to hide the Triforce. But what if the terrors of that wretched place were not enough of a deterrent? Our family once owned six other palaces aside from our home that were used as homes away from home when visiting other parts of the kingdom. They had fallen into disrepair and hadn't been used in years. I ordered the servants who maintained these palaces in our absence to leave. I then constructed magic statues in each palace as directed by the Triforce. Each statue created a magical force field around the Great Palace, six force fields in all, every single one of which had to be neutralized in order to enter.
"These crystals are given for the purpose of neutralizing the statues' power. I must admit in my fear I went somewhat overboard. I placed Ironknuckles in each palace and then placed extremely powerful guardian creatures near the statues that emerge from a dormant state when they detect motion. Only a true son of Hyrule would be anywhere near strong enough to defeat them. I then declared these palaces to be off limits. My excuse was poor structural integrity. To my dismay, these palaces soon became infested by demons but I was relieved to see that none of them made it past the guardians. I told myself that no hero strong enough to defeat the guardians would be inhibited by demons. I should hope that I was correct."
"The fact that I have gone through this much trouble should send a clear message. Misuse of the Triforce would be deadly and bring grave consequences to the land I love so dear. If you have this crest then the Triforce deems it possible for you to overcome these obstacles that I have put in place but not without great effort and hardship. You are not alone in your quest. My spirit and those of all your ancestors pray over your every footstep. Be the man you were meant to be my child."
Link had read every word out loud. Impa rose to her feat and looked him directly in the eye. "You can't do it."
"What do you mean?" Link asked angrily. "The king said the Triforce…"
"I know what it said," interrupted Impa. "I'm not saying you'll never be strong enough. But at this point you have no chance. That pathetic little effort at magic should have told you that. You know a grand total of two spells, one of which is useless without a wand. The other will serve you very little from now on."
Link knew what she meant. She was referring to his Sting spell. It could only be used when he was in top physical health. Uttering it would emit a pulse of energy the exact size and shape of a blade from his sword.
"There are enemies here you've never even seen before in the south," she continued. "That little trick would be useless on some of them. You need to develop your talents. Do you know what the most important words in that document are? 'Be the man you were meant to be my child.' The man you were meant to be is someone far greater than what you are now. You were destined for better things."
"What would you have me do?" asked Link in a voice that let Impa know he was taking all of this quite seriously.
"Fight. Build up your strength. Learn magic from anyone who will teach it to you. Practice it. Develop it into something far greater than those silly weapons I made you leave behind." Impa removed Link's sheath from his belt. "In this dangerous region you need to have your weapon drawn and ready at all times. This magic sword which was once so devastating will not destroy all enemies so easily unless the arm that wields it increases in strength. This magic shield which once defended against anything will not always do so here unless its user can master the magic needed to reinforce it. I don't have any other words of wisdom for you. Well, maybe just this: Go kick some ass boy!"
Impa walked up and hugged Link. "I believe in you. You have to believe in yourself. Here, take this map of the region. I had one of the best cartographers in Hyrule make this."
"Can't anything be done for the girl?" asked Link.
"Wow, you have a short attention span when it comes to women. I can almost guarantee the magic of the united Triforce is more powerful than Agahnim's spell. Hey, there's some incentive for you."
"Incentive? You really don't understand how I fell at all… neither do I."
Link walked up to the altar and gently kissed Zelda's forehead and stroked her face. "I don't want to leave you," he whispered. "I must be nuts. People told me I should move on when the woman I loved got engaged. Who had THIS in mind? I've fallen in love with a girl I've never even talked to. I should have my head examined. Really I should… Wait... I have talked to you…" Something was dawning on Link.
"It was you calling to me in my dream after this crest appeared, wasn't it? I felt your mind and heart… hell, I felt your soul. I liked what I felt at the time. A lot. For two weeks. I do know you. Not as well as I'd like to, but I know you. I didn't know you were a girl then or that you looked like this. Head over heals in love here. Man, I really am nuts. Gees, why doesn't normal stuff ever happen to me? Nah, screw normal, I love you."
Quickly, so as not to be tempted to hesitate further, Link set out on his quest.
End Chapter 1